West Cumbria Canoe Club hosted its annual Tiger Boat Racing Event at Derwentwater Marina, bringing together teams from canoe clubs across Cumbria for an evening of high-octane racing and friendly rivalry.
The event saw more than a dozen teams compete in heats throughout the day.
Tiger boats are long, 10-person (plus a drummer and a helm) canoes inspired by dragon boat racing.
Derwentwater Marina owns two tiger and hosts the annual event. It’s become a quirky and competitive tradition among Cumbrian canoe clubs, emphasising teamwork, timing, and the occasional good-natured crash
After a series of timed heats, it all came down to an unexpected all-Penrith showdown, with Penrith A and Penrith B teams going head-to-head in the final.
The race got off to a fierce start, with both teams pushing hard through the opening stretch. But drama struck mid-race when the two boats collided, throwing the outcome into chaos.
In the scramble to recover, it was Penrith B who regained momentum first, surging ahead in the final stretch to clinch victory amid roars from the shoreline.
“It was absolute chaos at the end, but that’s tiger boat racing!” laughed Daisy Henderson, a paddler from the victorious B team. “We didn’t expect to make it this far, so winning the whole thing – especially in such a wild final – feels amazing.”
Organisers from the West Cumbria Canoe Club praised the spirit of all competitors and the camaraderie between the clubs, noting that the event continues to grow each year.
Peter Knowles, race co-ordinator, said: “This is what the sport is all about, bringing paddlers together from all over Cumbria, enjoying the outdoors, and having some friendly, if slightly chaotic, competition. We’re already looking forward to next year.”
The event wrapped up with a lakeside barbecue and informal prize-giving.
